Françoise Hardy in the cinema, from 8 women to Wes Anderson

Françoise Hardy in the cinema, from 8 women to Wes Anderson

ByLeila

The “Personal Message” singer has died at age 80. His melancholy inspired many filmmakers.

Thomas Dutronc announced last night on his social networks the disappearance of his mother, Francoise Hardy. She died at the age of 80 from laryngeal cancer, a painful illness that she had publicly discussed, even engaging in the fight for euthanasia.

François Hardy above all marked the history of French music, thanks to his melancholic melodies, “All the boys and girls”in the early 1960s, “Personal message” Passing by “The time of love” Or “How to say goodbye to you”. Having also become a fashion icon from her first musical successes, she signed at the very beginning of her career for a few appearances in the cinema. First in Castle in Sweden (1963), by Roger Vadim, a family drama adapted from a play by Françoise Sagan, where she plays the wife of Jean-Claude Brialy, a secondary and yet crucial character in the story.

In the following years, she appeared in a handful of French films, e.g. Male Femaleby Jean-Luc Godard, or If it had to be done againeby Claude Lelouch, but also in foreign productions, Italian films (Altissima Pressioneby Enzo Trapani) or in English, notably in the final scene of What's up, Pussycat?by Clive Donner, a comedy written by Woody Allen or in Grand Prix, by John Frankenheimer. Although these are often small roles, her presence is still magnetic enough for her to be celebrated beyond our borders.

In 1976, when Lelouch chose to have her appear on television performing “Woman among women”observed by the character of Catherine Deneuve, the scene evokes in passing the friendship between the French filmmaker and the artist: they had already known each other for years, since it was already he who had filmed her on a merry-go-round for the clip (well, the scopitone) of “All the boys and girls”.

Françoise Hardy's acting experiences are, however, quite few, since in the 1970s, she preferred to return to singing… unlike her companion, Jacques Dutronc, who multiplied the roles from 1975.

Jacques Dutronc the gentleman actor: he hides nothing and says everything about his love for cinema

The spleen sung by Françoise Hardy has inspired filmmakers of all generations and nationalities. The most striking example is undoubtedly François Ozonwhich punctuated Water drops on hot stones (2000) by its German title “Träume”and which of course moved 3.5 million spectators in French theaters in 2002, by offering Isabelle Huppert to perform “Personal message” at the piano. To pay tribute to him, the French filmmaker – who was also able to realize his dream, in 2018, by being chosen by Françoise Hardy to direct her music video “The wide” – shared an extract from this cult film:

François Ozon, great director of actresses with 8 Women

In “The wide”, François Ozon filmed a teenage fan of the singer and her world. An idea that came from his own fascination with Hardy during his youth. He was not the only one: in 2003, David Bowie revealed on the set of the French show Traffic.musicby Guillaume Durant, to have been “passionately in love with her”And this “for a long time”. A 100% musical archive that is worth the detour:

Claude Lelouch in songs – episode 2: Johnny Hallyday and Jacques Dutronc

Over the years, we have heard many pieces by Françoise Hardy in the cinema and in series, both in France and abroad. For example “The first good time of the day” In Venus Beauty (Institute), “Friendship” In Barbarian Invasions, “So” In The End of the F*** World, “All the boys and girls” In Innocents: The Dreamers, “My friend the Rose” In Family party Or Vortex, “How to say goodbye to you” In Emily's Shadow Or “He travels”within Killing Eve…

As to “Time for love”it is today inseparable from Moonrise Kingdom (2012), by Wes Anderson: at the heart of this work on adolescence, the song was also used throughout its promotion, in its teasers and trailers. In an equally romantic register, Hugo Gélin was inspired by it for his very successful rom-com My stranger (2019), with Joséphine Japy and François Civil.

Without forgetting the covers, like that of “A miss interferes” by Exotica, which marked the spectators of Just the end of the world (2016), by Xavier Dolan.

Moonrise Kingdom: The Inspiration Behind the Beach Dancing Scene

Two years ago, Arte designed a special Blow-Up “Françoise Hardy at the cinema”. A beautiful montage dedicated to the one who sang human melancholy like no other.

Leila
Leila

Leila is the editor-in-chief at DTmovies, leading the charge with her team to deliver engaging cinema and series content. With a keen eye for emerging trends and a passion for the stories behind the screen, she is the creative backbone that drives the site’s editorial excellence. Her expertise and dedication have established DTmovies as a go-to source for film and series enthusiasts.

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